Underdeveloped
by the Canary that Ate the Cat
Summary: Blake learns a few things about her partner in the form of a photo album. One shot. Relationship can be interpreted to your liking.


It started with a photo.

An old photo; color worn with age, yellowed and tearing on the corners. Three figures stood, side by side. Among the three was a man with light hair and a familiar eye shape, a woman donning a white cloak, and a final man wielding a rather impressive looking scythe. A seemingly normal picture.

Except for the large rip along the light haired man's right shoulder. A tear in the paper. The abrupt removal of the team's fourth member.

Moments ago Blake had been reading on her bed. The arrival of Ruby and another package had prompted the faunus to avert her attention to the monthly spectacle that was a Taiyang Xiao Long parcel. Last month had been an excessive amount of cookies, of which a scolding Yang had forced Ruby to share. Before that had been a small, lone rock that the man had claimed resembled the shape of a nevermore. That was still up for debate.

This current months gift had come in the form of an old photo album. All four members of team RWBY had promptly sat down together and began leafing through its pages.

The first few appeared to be the oldest, and the sisters took to excitedly explaining each and every one.

"See there? Dad and Uncle Qrow stole that from the headmaster's office! They were suspended for a whole month!"

Yang had been pointing to a picture of the two men, a mounted boarbatusk head held between them. It was clearly a fake purchased from a novelty shop, seeing as how grimm left no postmortem traces. Ruby, Weiss and Blake had laughed along at the absurdity of the situation.

Ruby turned the page, eager to share the next story.

And now they sat, staring down at the photo of Taiyang, Summer, Qrow, and a tear where Yang's mother had once been, presumably.

Ruby continued forth, excitedly pointing out Qrow's weapon to Weiss, who listened with rapt attention. It was clear that neither girl sensed the sudden mood shift in the blonde to Blake's right. Yang had stiffened immediately and had taken a sharp intake of air through her nose.

Blake had chosen not to draw attention to the matter, instead moving only slightly to press her shoulder closer to the other girl's. It was an act of understanding; a warm presence for a friend in need. Yang seemed to understand as, after a moment, she leaned slightly back into Blake. The tension was still there, but the effort was acknowledged.

As Ruby continued to flip through the album, Blake's mind drifted to her partner. It had been a given that Weiss was unaware of Yang's parental trouble. That story had been told to Blake in private and had only been warranted given the circumstances. Besides, who went around bragging about being abandoned as a child?

No, what was odd to Blake was Ruby's reaction; their leader seemed to be none the wiser to her sister's turmoil. Her half sister. Was Ruby unaware of the diluted blood between her and Yang?

"Awe! It's widdle Yang!"

At Ruby's exclamation, Blake looked back down to the album, observing the pictures on the page. What she saw was... well, honestly, it looked like just a generic baby. Small scrunched up face, eyes squinting and wisps of blonde hair. It really could have been anyone. The picture had clearly been taken shortly after birth, the newborn still swaddled in a generic pink blanket. The pink didn't sit well with Blake.

Yellow would have been more appropriate.

A few more photos were scattered across the page, each one increasing in their likeness of Yang. One picture clearly depicted the blonde's first birthday, bright lilac eyes looking towards the camera and cake covering her face. For the majority of the photos Yang was alone, playing with a toy motorcycle or sprawled across the sofa, having fallen asleep in a ridiculous manner. Taiyang or Qrow would pop up in them occasionally, but all pictures were distinctly void of a female presence.

That is until Ruby turned the page.

The Yang in these pictures was slightly older, three maybe, and was accompanied by a familiar woman: Summer Rose. There was one of the toddler on the woman's lap; one of the two of them on a swing. More and more pictures of the auburn haired woman with the grey eyes and Yang. Taiyang even seemed to pop up in some, a large smile on his face. Larger than in the previous photos.

As they continued on, and the blonde child grew, so did the size of Summer's stomach until, finally, another generic baby photo. This child appeared to be slightly smaller in size with neigh a hair on their head. Weiss snorted.

"Pff. You were a bald baby."

Ruby's head whipped around to her partner with a look of indignation.

"Weiss! I have hair now thank you very much."

Blake giggled before regarding her own partner.

"I should have known you'd be the one born with hair."

The cocky grin she received was a welcomed change to the previous tension Blake had been feeling rolling off of Yang. The blonde shook her head playfully, wild curls whipping about her face. She then looked back down to the album, pointing at a picture of herself with a baby Ruby and cooing.

"Look Ruby! The first time we officially met!"

Ruby laughed at that.

"Yup! And we've been best friends ever since!"

With that the two sisters leaned across Blake to bump fists before returning to their previous positions.

Weiss rolled her eyes but Blake couldn't help but laugh and look between the two. She wasn't used to such relationships herself, being an only child and growing up with the White Fang. Seeing the sisters now, it was great knowing that they maintained such a strong bond through life. Even if she herself couldn't have it, she was glad Yang and Ruby did.

The album continued with Yang and Ruby the primary focus, Taiyang and Summer making appearances here and there. Ruby in a red cape and a mouth full cookies, hands clasped around the neck of Yang, whose hair was divided into pig tails as she tried to carry her sister on her back; a shot of Summer swimming with Ruby in a pool, Yang splashing away in the background.

Upon another page turn, the mood grew solemn once again, only this time the grief seemed to be shared by both sisters. On the page was a family photo, taken during the Winter Festival. Ruby sat on Summers lap, Yang on Taiyang's shoulders with lights and lanterns all glittering about behind them above a snowy landscape. Yang cleared her throat before speaking.

"Lost Mom that year."

Blake didn't have to turn to Yang to know the other girl had tears in her eyes and Ruby seemed to be fairing only slightly better. All four girls seemed to non-verbally agree to taking a moment of silence, heads bowed in respect and grief. Once some time had passed, Ruby lifted the book to her lips, placing a kiss on the family photo.

No one said a word as she turned the page and continued on.

But as they continued to view in silence, Blake was noticing something different about these pictures. Unlike the previous one's, these seemed to focus heavily on Ruby, Yang appearing in very few of them.

Ruby on her bike.

Ruby playing with a wooden sword.

Ruby seated, a large book on her lap.

Every once and a while there would be a photo of Taiyang, looking tired and caught off guard. Another where he seemed angry, maybe irritated. And then, of course, more Ruby.

Ruby eating pancakes.

Ruby trying to tie her shoes.

Ruby, smiling brightly, two front teeth missing.

Blake turned to Yang, left brow raised in silent question.

_Where are you?_

Yang, who had been smiling at all the pictures of Ruby, just shrugged her shoulders.

"Someone had to take all those pictures."

Blake studied her partner's face for a moment before turning back to the album. Her eyes focused in on one of the few pictures of Yang. The blonde had a black eye and was sticking her tongue out at the camera, a bag of frozen peas in her hand. The photo was out of frame, and slightly blurry, alluding to an amateur photographer.

Weiss leaned forward to address the blonde across the rest of team RWBY.

"Yang, why do all of your pictures look like you were in a fight?!"

Blake thought back to the previous photos of Yang. It was true, the blonde had sported some bandage or scrape in a majority of the shots. Yang laughed.

"That's because I was!"

She leaned behind Blake so she could reach Ruby, tussling her sisters hair playfully.

"Yeah, got into a lot of fights protecting this runt."

Ruby swatted her away in irritation, but the smile on her face proved otherwise. Yang stood up, reaching her arms above her head in a stretch.

"Welp, I think that's enough for me. Told Pyrrha I'd meet up with her for some boxing lessons."

That piqued Weiss' interest.

"Boxing lessons?"

Yang stopped on her way to the door, turning to address the heiress.

"Yeah. Guess she wants to expand her fighting techniques. You're more than welcome to tag along. I know how much you love to watch Pyrrha fight."

Completely ignoring the blondes smirk, Weiss abruptly stood and headed towards where Yang stood at the door.

"Yes well, she is a champion. And I'd very much like to see how she handles this latest endeavor."

Yang burst into laughter as she lead Weiss out the door, tossing a casual goodbye over her shoulder. The slamming shut of the photo album startled Blake and she quickly turned to regard Ruby. The brunette gave her a sheepish look before standing up.

"Sorry, but I totally forgot that we have that paper to write on the Intercontinental Dust Trade and it's due on Friday. I'm gonna go down to the library and get started."

As she moved towards her desk, Ruby took the album with her. Blake hesitated for a moment before standing.

"Ruby, would it be alright if I looked through the album while you're gone?"

She offered no explanation, and deeply hoped that the younger girl wouldn't inquire. Thankfully, Ruby did not disappoint.

"Sure thing Blake!"

She handed the album over to the faunus before making her leave, a Beacon issued backpack thrown casually over her shoulder and a scatter of rose petals left in her wake as she rushed down to the library.

And then there was one.

Blake looked down on the worn, leather cover of the book in her hands. She had wanted more time; more time to casually browse the lives of her team mates, or more specifically, her partner. Ever since sharing that part of her past, Yang had become somewhat of an intriguing puzzle in Blake's eyes. Blake would admit, regrettably, that she was guilty of judging a book by it's cover so to say. Her first impressions of Yang hadn't been the best, and while she did _choose_ Yang to be her partner, a fact that the other girl was still unaware of, she had merely done so for her impressive fighting skills and nothing more. And yet now, she considered the blonde to be a friend; her best friend.

Moving towards her own bed, Blake settled down to get comfortable, propping the album on her knees. She gingerly lifted the cover to the first page, the spine cracking in it's old age. Amber eyes skimmed the first photo, a portrait of Signal Academy in the fall, faded red and yellow leaves scattered about the campus. It was a lovely scene, not, however, what Blake was looking for.

She continued forth before finally coming to the torn picture. Blake ran a finger along the rip, wondering who it was who had damaged the image. Was it Taiyang in a fit of despair? Perhaps Summer, in a mutual agreement to erase the woman from their family photo album. Maybe even Yang, to keep as a token; a reminder of the mother she never knew.

Blake took in Taiyang's face. His eye shape had been undoubtedly passed down to both daughters, though while Yang had her fathers lilacs, Ruby seemed to have inherited her grey eyes from her mother. It could only be assumed that Yang had also inherited her father's light hair, but seeing as how Blake had no maternal comparison, that's all she could do: assume. The likenesses ended there.

Blake continued to study the photos in the album. From what she gathered, Yang's first years had been relatively happy; a smile, reminiscent to the blonde's now, always present on the baby's face. It became apparent that Qrow had taken on a large role in the child's life, filling in the empty space that had been left in her mother's wake.

Eventually, Summer had taken to filling that space as well. If Blake didn't know any better, she would have assumed the woman was Yang's birth mother.

It seemed she wasn't the only one.

Blake thought back to Ruby. The younger girl appeared to be completely oblivious to the story being told in the album; a tale of love lost, and the little girl caught in between.

Speaking of which...

Blake merely glanced at the picture of a new born Ruby before turning to the one of the child and a two year old Yang. The blonde was peering over the edge of the crib, lilac eyes wide with wonderment, taking in the new addition to the family. The moment felt important; life changing.

Blake supposed it was.

She couldn't help but smile as she thumbed through the next several pages. They seemed the happiest out of the whole album; even Taiyang's smile seemed to finally reach his eyes.

There was a picture of the four sharing a picnic at the park, and one of Ruby riding her fathers back, the latter sporting a silly beowolf mask. A few had been taken during major events: Ruby's first steps and Yang's first day at school. There were even a few of just Taiyang and Summer, sharing a kiss here and a glance there. Their happiness was palpable.

Which made the next page turn that much harder.

A seemingly innocent photo taken of a family of four celebrating the Winter Festival.

Summer's last Winter Festival.

It took the blurring of the image for Blake to realize that she had tears in her eyes.

It was silly, really. It wasn't as if she had known the woman, and it wasn't as if Blake was just now learning of her death. But she had been graced with a window into these peoples lives; had felt the love and happiness exuding from the photos. And as she turned the page once more, she could feel the mood shift to despair.

Going through the pages there now, no longer surrounded by the other three, was a completely different experience. Before it had been Yang and Ruby sharing funny snippets and stories that went along with each photo, but now...

Blake picked up on things she hadn't noticed before.

The sparsity of pictures of Taiyang; a man who had succumb to his heartbreak and abandoned his two children.

The settings had changed. No longer did the pictures depict picnics in the park and brightly illuminated festivals. In fact, most of the images seemed to have been taken in the same small, dimly lit house. The furniture was worn, paint chipped, and bottles of ale could be recognized covering multiple flat surfaces; the likes of a house that was no longer a home.

The overabundance of Ruby. Each page was littered with the growing brunette, the result of an older sister's dedication to the most important person in her life.

The lack of Yang.

_Someone had to take all those pictures_

While Yang had been busy raising her little sister and capturing it all on film, there had been no one there to do the same for the blonde. No one to raise her; no one to follow her, documenting her growth. What images that actually existed of Yang were out of focus, and taken from odd, lower angles; Blake now understood why.

The amateur photographer. Ruby.

Amber eyes skimmed over the photo on the current page. It was of Yang, angled up as if taken from below the blonde, and slightly askew. She was giving a thumbs up and wore a large, goofy smile despite having a busted lip and what appeared to be a missing tooth. Her goofy smile did not reach her eyes.

Blake slammed the book shut. Her heart hurt and her head hurt and she just...

She felt foolish. For someone who had spent all her life being judged for what was on the outside, Blake has been pretty hypocritical when it came to her partner. Yang's demeanor had always been so light and fun; only a select few could match her level of optimism. It was hard to believe that such a personality could survive years of hardship. It made Blake think on to her own cynical outlook on life and how she'd all but given up on most of the world at this point. But Yang... Yang was like a phoenix, rising from the ashes.

The sound of the door opening caught Blake's attention. Speak of the devil.

The blonde trotted in without a care in the world, despite the sweat sticking her bangs to her forehead and...

"Yang! What happened to your eye?"

She was currently sporting a very impressive black eye. Yang smiled sheepishly before wincing as the gesture pulled the skin painfully taut on the right side of her face.

"That Pyrrha is one quick learner."

Blake held both hands up as if in surrender.

"Enough said."

"Anyway," the blonde delicately pushed her bangs out of the way before eyeing Blake and the forgotten album. "What are you up to?"

"Oh."

The faunus looked down to the book still in her lap before regarding her partner with a sheepish look of her own.

"I was just... I hope you don't mind? Ruby said it was okay."

This time her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but Yang waved Blake off none the less.

"Yeah no, it's cool."

The room grew quiet as both girls took to looking at anything but each other. Blake, unable to take the awkwardness anymore, broke the silence.

"Oh! I just remembered, a book I requested came into the library today. I think I'll head down there before it closes."

She stood from her bed and headed for the door. She needed more time; she needed to process her findings and having Yang this close would be too emotional. Yang, for her part, moved away from the door to let the other girl pass.

"Oh, cool. Alright, I'll see you later."

When Blake returned an hour later, the blonde girl was missing. So was the photo album.

* * *

It was becoming clear that the roof was Yang's go-to spot.

The blonde was currently sat, legs dangling over the ledge, and the photo album open on her lap. Upon hearing the door she leaned back to peer over at her intruder. Seeing that it was Blake, Yang's whole face broke out into a large grin.

"Heya Blake! Whatcha doin' here?"

Blake couldn't help but giggle at her partner's exuberance as she took a seat next to her. She decided to be honest for once.

"Looking for my partner."

Yang cocked her head in question before turning back to the book on her lap, gaze skimming the current page. Blake could barely make out the faint bruising around Yang's right eye, the girl's aura having all but healed the wound.

This time when Yang spoke it was much quieter.

"Well you found me."

At some point the air in the atmosphere had shifted, becoming more serious. Probably upon Yang's realization that Blake was looking to talk. Blake never looked to talk, unless it was about Yang. The faunus took this as a sign to dive right in.

"So... Ruby doesn't know."

It was more of a statement than a question. There was no point in playing dumb. Blake had figured it out; Ruby didn't know that she and Yang were only half sisters. The blonde didn't look surprised.

"I had thought about it. About telling her. I kept waiting for the right time you know? But really, when is the right time to tell your sister that you have a different mom."

Blake only nodded, not sure of what to say. Yang continued anyway.

"I guess I felt like it didn't matter? I feel like it doesn't matter. Ruby is still my sister no matter who gave birth to who. But... I guess... I may have this irrational fear that if Ruby ever found out that she wouldn't want to be my sister anymore."

Blake's head whipped around to address Yang, amber eyes wide and brows knit.

"Yang! Ruby would never..."

She was interrupted by the blondes laughter.

"I said it was irrational didn't I? Believe me, I know my sister. I could tell her that I'm actually an ursa who has been pretending to be a human and she'd probably give me a big hug and tell me she loved me."

Blake snorted.

"It's stupid, but I can't help the way I feel."

Yang grew silent then, lilac eyes locked on the horizon. She was clearly in thought, and Blake made no motion to assure the other girl. Yang was right, sometimes you can't help the way you feel. Despite the facts, the brain and the heart just weren't always on the same page.

Blake instead looked down to the page that Yang had left open. It was a picture she hadn't seen yet. The girls were slightly older, Yang probably around twelve years old, making Ruby ten. They were sat on either side of Taiyang, both laughing. The man wore a silly party hat and his cheeks were puffed out as he was in the midst of blowing out the candles littered on the cake that was sat in front of him. They looked happy, genuinely so.

"When was this?"

Upon Blake's inquiry Yang glanced first over to her partner before regarding the picture as well.

"Dad's 40th birthday."

She laughed before continuing.

"Ruby and I tried to fit forty candles on the cake. I think we only made it to like twenty-seven or something."

Blake giggled.

"You guys look happy."

Yang smiled and looked back up at her partner.

"Yeah, we were. It was the first birthday we had celebrated in a while. It was weird, that was the year Dad finally snapped out of it. It was like one minute he didn't care and then the next he was Super Dad; he was cooking and helping us with homework... just like, normal Dad stuff."

Blake's head cocked to the side in confusion.

"Just like that?"

Lilac eyes shifted to just passed her, instead staring off into a distant memory.

"Yeah. Just like that."

She looked back to Blake.

"I think it probably had something to do with Uncle Qrow? He had been away on hunter duty for most of our childhood. He had been stationed... somewhere outside of Vacuo I think? That was about around the time he came back to Patch. In fact, he's the reason why Ruby became serious about being a huntress. When Uncle Qrow returned he didn't just bring back with him tales of adventure and bravery... he brought back my Dad."

Yang turned away from Blake, once again facing out towards the grounds of Beacon Academy and the now setting sun. Her next words were spoken softy and to herself.

"Kind of always wished he would have brought back my Mom."

Blake, unsure if Yang had intentionally spoken aloud, chose instead to follow her partner's lead and turned away to face the sun. Mirroring the moment from earlier in the day, Blake shifted closer to the blonde so that their shoulders touched; another comforting gesture.

It would be another seven minutes before either girl spoke again, the sun finally having dropped beyond the horizon, making way for the twinkling stars of the night sky.

"Blake, do you think... do you think that we are destined to become our parents?"

Before Blake could give her answer, Yang continued.

"Like, I mean, hereditarily speaking? Like Cardin; is he a racist idiot because that's how he was raised, or because he comes from a long line of racist idiots?"

It was then that it clicked. Blake regarded Yang sadly.

"Yang..."

The blonde's shoulders sagged, eyes shifting to the floor. She took several moments before speaking, voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna be just like my mom; abandon the people I care about... toss them aside like yesterday's garbage."

Blake's reaction was immediate. She lunged forward, claiming the other girl in a hug so forceful that, had the recipient been anyone other than Yang, she was sure to have cracked a rib. Yang froze, arms pressed to her sides, trapped by Blake's own.

She could hear the tears in Blake's voice; feel them dampening the fabric of her thin jacket.

"You are _**not**_ garbage."

Yang's only response was to drop her head on to Blake's shoulder, still confined in the embrace.

The silence was thick and heavy, both suffocating and comfortable; like pulling the blankets over one's head during a particularly cold day.

It was the most intimate moment that either girl had ever experienced.

It was clear that, growing up, Yang had taken on such a large role for a child. Losing a mother; losing _**two**_ mothers. She had taken on the responsibility of practically raising Ruby and looking after a father who had given up. In doing so Yang had never had the luxury of breaking down, letting her emotions take over and succumbing to the pressure.

Blake, for her part had been forced to deal with the harsh reality of growing up a faunus in a human dominated world. There was no time to wallow in self pity when your main priority was survival; when you weren't sure where your next meal would come from or how you were going to stay warm that night.

Both girls had been forced to grow up so fast, and neither were equipped with the ability to open up to another person; to truly let oneself go...

It felt nice.

It was Blake who broke the silence.

"You don't know just how amazing you are."

Upon Yang's scoff, Blake pulled back, but her grip remained on the blonde's shoulders. Amber eyes bore into watery lilacs.

"Yang, you simultaneously lost two mothers and were left with an emotionally distraught father and your three year old half sister, and what did you do? You took care of them. You were five years old and raising a child. Do you not know how amazing that is? You were just a child yourself. And you didn't just raise Ruby, Yang, you helped mold her in to the wonderful woman she is today. She was accepted in to Beacon Academy at just fifteen! She became the youngest team leader in Beacon history!"

Yang's lips quirked up in a small smile, thinking on all her sister's accomplishments.

"I'm so proud of her."

Blake moved her hands from Yang's shoulder up to grasp her cheeks, pulling the blonde's head down so their forehead's met gently in the middle.

"You should be. And while you are at it you should be proud of yourself, because without you Ruby wouldn't be where she is today; _**I **_wouldn't be where I am today. You are an integral part of this team."

Blake couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her lips.

"Team RWB just doesn't have the same ring to it."

Yang barked with laughter, finally pulling back from Blake and wiping at her eyes. She let out a heavy sigh as her body sagged, both from relaxation and exhaustion. She smiled widely at her partner.

"Thanks Blake."

Blake just smiled back. Yang regarded the sky once more, squinting at the setting sun before turning back to Blake.

"We should probably head up."

Blake nodded before shifting forward, bumping shoulders lightly with Yang as she passed. The other girl just laughed before speeding up to match pace with her. As they approached the doors and Yang reached for the handle, Blake cleared her throat before motioning for the other girl to hold on.

Their eye's met once more.

"Yang, for what it's worth, you were right. Your mother did have a hand in your destiny."

The blonde looked slightly hurt before Blake continued.

"It's in spite of her that you are destined for great things."

And with that, the faunus headed inside.


End file.
